Tens things you didn't know about the Burnett Traffic Bridge

1. An average of 16,800 motorists use the bridge every day.

2. More than 17,000L of paint will be used to coat the bridge.

3. The original bridge was painted battleship grey.

4. But repainted in the early 1990s using heritage colours Indian Red, Brunswick Green and Kansas Corn

5. The bridge was designed by Queensland's chief engineer of bridges Alfred Barton Brady.

6. The cost to build the bridge was £64,234.

7. The Burnett Traffic Bridge was opened by Queensland Governor Baron Lamington on August 24, 1900.

8. A public holiday was held to celebrate the opening.

9. The bridge is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.

10. A crew of 14 will rehabilitate the structure.

HAVE you spotted the workers on the Burnett Traffic Bridge sporting their white space suits and wondered what they're for?   

They are not spacemen but Transport and Main Road workers busy removing toxic paint from the bridge in its first renovation.   

The removal of the lead paint from the bridge poses serious health hazards for the bridge crew, the community and surrounding environment if not controlled appropriately.  

This is why cautious steps have been taken to control the environment during a long renovation.  

"The disposable coverall suits are one of many preventative measures used to manage the risk of lead exposure and ensure the ongoing safety of the crew," a spokesperson said. 

 "Garnet blasting of the old painted surface occurs inside a sealed enclosure, which has an air extraction fan to create a negative pressure environment for particles and dust to remain inside the encapsulation tent at all times.  

"Used materials are moved to handling silos that filter the various particle sizes to assist with their removal from site."

The spokesperson said with the encapsulation tent there was a lot of heat and the tent acted like a green house, effectively trapping heat to reach temperatures as high as 65C.   

To combat this, workers periodically rotated shifts and their full-length coverall suits and helmets were fed compressed cool air through a hose to maintain a lower body temperature.  

"The bridge crew also undergo regular blood testing to monitor lead levels within their bodies along with receiving lead-risk and confined space training," the spokesperson said.   

"Where locations do not permit the use of encapsulation, the blasting is undertaken with specialist equipment that has a suction head to vacuum dust and particles into a canister as they are removed from steel surfaces."  

They said several air quality devices were set up around the bridge to test and monitor airborne particles regularly.    Water and river bed sampling was also used to monitor lead levels.   

"The crew is frequently exposed to heights and scaffolding platforms, (and) to mitigate risk, suspended gantries with full-height hand rails are provided," the spokesperson said.   

"Workers also wear fall- arresting harnesses when working out of elevated work platforms."  

The safety of the general public was equally as important, with spotters to alert the crew to potential pedestrian/bicycle movements on the bridge.   

The ply sheeting you can see along the bridge was placed between traffic and the pedestrian path which also serves to prevent materials/equipment from entering the path of passing traffic.  

Where the work area is too close to traffic or where it is required to occupy the traffic lanes on the bridge, temporary road closures allow work to progress safely and efficiently.  

The work will continue for several years.   

"The Old Traffic Bridge" was opened by Queensland Governor Baron Lamington on August 24, 1900.

A public holiday was held to celebrate the opening.

It was the fifth longest metal truss bridge in Australia and is the only one still being used today.

"A toll was applied to the bridge and three houses were built for toll collectors on the south side near the old ferry cutting," a Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said.

"The toll was accepted by the majority of the community who were willing to pay for the convenience, but there was jubilation when the toll was abolished in 1913," they said.

Control of the bridge was transferred to the former Main Roads Department in the 1960s.

The bridge was designed by Queensland's chief engineer of bridges Alfred Barton Brady, who also designed the Kennedy Bridge in Bundaberg and Lamington Bridge in Maryborough.

It took just over two years to build.

"Contractor Messrs John McCormic and Sons started works to build the bridge in June 1898," the spokesperson said.

"The total cost of the bridge and approaches was £64,234, including land, engineering and super- vision," they said.

Old rails were lifted from the Mount Perry railway line during an upgrade and used as dead-weight to test the strength of the foundation under the bridge columns.

"These rails were leased by the railway department and delivered to Bundaberg for shipment to the north by steamer," they said.

"The steel girder bridge was built with eight spans (each about 57.9 metres) and totalled more than 416 metres between abutments.

"Other features included 7.3-metre-wide road and a 1.7-metre-wide footpath."

The spokesperson said the original bridge was battleship grey but was repainted in the early 1990s using heritage colours Indian Red, Brunswick Green and Kansas Corn.

About the same time, the structure was added to the Queensland Heritage Register and other minor colours were added, including Jade Blue and Drab.

The current maintenance and rehabilitation works will ensure the bridge can keep up with demand, as an average of 16,800 motorists use the bridge every day.

The program involves structural repairs, blasting works to remove lead-based paint and rust, and a new paint protection system, the first of its kind since the bridge was built.

More than 17,000L of paint will be used to coat the bridge and there are 14 dedicated crew members working to rehabilitate the structure.

Some works can be completed at night, but painting must be done during the day.

"Night-time moisture may get trapped under the paint, and potentially compromise the treatment of preventing active corrosion for the next 15 years," the spokesperson said.

"Day closures will be carried out on Sundays when traffic volumes are lower, where possible, to minimise impact on the community."

The age and size of the structure meant the rehabilitation program was significant and would be ongoing.

The revamp is expected to take several years.